Robin and the Pirates
by muchbeddled
Summary: Many legends tell of Robin fighting pirates on his journey home from Acre. My version is naturally set preseries, and may stand alone, or be a considered a missing chapter in my story You Must Have Had Suitors.
1. Chapter 1

The strong odors of fish and spices competed to sting Robin's nostrils, making him queasy. The intense burning sun worsened his condition, and he wondered how he would fare onboard the ship, with the sea billowing beneath him. Even so, he refused to wait another day to begin his voyage home, after missing England for five long years.

Seated on a barrel by the docks in the Port of Acre, Robin watched the activity around him with interest while waiting for Much to return. He'd sent his servant ahead to purchase their passage home onboard a merchant ship, since he was still weak from the wound and the ensuing fever that had almost claimed his life.

The ship that would be his home for the next several weeks, _The Trego, _was docked and being loaded with cargo to be sold throughout Europe. Sea birds cried out and swooped down from overhead, scavenging for food. Crates containing caskets of olive oil, bolts of vividly colored silks and woven carpets, beads, and, most plentiful of all, cartons and cartons of rich spices were filling up The Trego's hull. Robin watched the sweaty dockmen haul and load, haul and load, grinning to himself when he caught them swearing in colorful Arabic, using words he had not learned from reading the Quran.

As he was beginning to feel restless and grow tired of waiting, Much returned, bringing orange slices wrapped in a linen handerchief.

"Here," Much ordered, fussing over Robin like a mother hen, "eat these. All of them."

The sweet, juicy fruit was just what Robin needed to refresh him. Feeling better, he stood and asked, "Were you able to get us passage?"

"It wasn't easy," Much replied, "but when I explained I was travelling with the Earl of Huntington, Captain of the King Richard's Private Guard, the captain of the ship himself bid me welcome."

"Former Captain," Robin sighed.

"No, the actual one. The one who commands the ship."

"I meant me," Robin said. "I'm no longer Captain."

"Oh! That's right. Well, don't feel bad about it. We're making it out of here alive, and for a few months there, I wasn't sure we would! It was touch and go with you, you know."

Robin put a hand to his side. The pain from his wound still lingered, but he was more grateful to Much than he could ever express. "Well," he said, "shall we?"

"Home to England!" Much cried, delighted.

"Home to Locksley. And for you, home to Bonchurch."

"Master! Do you really mean it? I mean, you've mentioned it, but are you really giving me Bonchurch? Really? Me?"

"You have earned it, my friend," Robin responded, clapping a hand on Much's shoulder and smiling good naturedly into his eyes.

Leaning on Much's arm, Robin made his way toward the ship. Home, he thought, with mixed feelings. Home to the people he loved. But when the one he loved best in all the world was wed to another, would it really be home any longer?

...

Unknown to Robin and Much, a swarthy faced Turk in colorful garments had eavesdropped on their conversation.

"The Earl of Huntington," he thought with fascination. "Melek Ric's Mad Archer! And in a weakened state!" Running from his place on the docks, he boarded his own ship, a small craft, and told his captain the great news.

"Excellent," the pirate captain purred in Arabic. "We follow The Trego, and then, on the open sea, attack and board her. We'll rob her passengers, kill the weak, make slaves of the strong, and rape all the women. But as for the greatest treasure onboard, the Mad Archer of Acre, we'll capture and ransom him. King Richard of the English will pay a fortune to free his best loved captain, won't he, me hearties?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" the pirates chanted.


	2. Chapter 2

The captain of _The Trego _greeted his paying "guest," Sir Robert of Locksley, Earl of Huntington and Hero of Acre, with much fanfare. "Welcome, Your Grace!" he cried, bowing down and summoning his crew to do the same. "It is with the greatest of pleasure that I bid you welcome aboard my humble ship."

Much relished the courtesies paid to his master, but Robin would have preferred a friendly, honest greeting, rather than the embarrassing grovelling taking place on deck. All the same, his natural charm immediately put the captain at ease.

"Please, Captain, call me Robin. And I'd prefer it if no one bowed to me. Once your worthy vessel sets sail, I'll be forced to bow down to you as my superior, and bending my head these days frankly makes me queasy."

"Sea air will soon restore you to health, no doubt. These seas are smooth as glass, my lord, with only the gentlest swell. And then, only at night, to rock you to sleep."

Robin laughed so infectiously, he drew approving glances from several other boarding passengers.

One particular passenger stared at him so approvingly, he could feel her dark eyes upon him. Robin turned, and found himself being studied by a beautiful young woman, richly dressed in a burgundy colored gown, her long dark tresses tossed by the sea breeze.

Robin returned her stare, smiling slowly as he indicated his mutual admiration. The lady's eyes blazed hungrily back at him.

"So, young man, you admire my wife?" a male voice rasped at Robin's elbow.

"Oh, no! Here we go!" Much cried in exasperation. "And I thought our adventures were finally behind us!"

Robin turned to see an elderly man, richly dressed, and stout with the signs of prosperity, glaring eye to eye at him. "Your wife?" he repeated, surprised, but grasping the situation. "You are indeed a lucky man. I am Robin of Locksley, and this is my friend-"

"Yes. I know who you are. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luchas. I am a merchant, hailing from Venice. I'm returning home from a buying trip. Should you desire to view my wares on board ship, do not hesitate to ask."

"And your wife's name?" Robin asked politely.

"As you will have no contact with my wife on this voyage, you have no need of her name. Good day, my lord. I wish you a pleasant journey. Come, Bianca!"

"Bianca," Robin repeated to himself, smiling slyly.

"Oh, no!" Much cried. "You heard that man, Robin! He said 'No contact!' You need to concentrate on resting, and getting well, before you can begin to think about...about...you know!"

"Don't worry, Much. I won't trifle with another man's wife, no matter how mismatched the couple is."

"Good! See that you stick to that! I've heard about the Venetians! Treacherous people! Not to be trusted! They say they conceal daggers up their sleeves, and will slit your throat with them when you're asleep."

While Much continued his declamation on the treacheries of the population of Venice, Robin leaned against the ship's wooden rail and stared into the receeding coastline, and the rushing waves beneath the ship. The dark haired beauty had pleased him for only a moment, and then, his heart and mind returned to Marian, plunging him into grief.

His wound and infection had nearly healed, but nothing seemed to cure his broken heart. He found activity could numb it, and therefore, he longed to be active. But Much, wisely, he had to admit, forbad him from overexerting himself.

The only other temporary cure he knew was to meet new people and learn new skills, and be helpful and kind wherever need arose. There had been plenty of need in Acre. Beggars and newly made orphans all had benefitted from his generosity and fair mindedness in the Holy Land, despite being his nation's "enemies." But the passengers onboard this ship appeared to be wealthy and self interested. Still, one never knew.

As if reading his thoughts, a barefoot boy in rags trotted past him, stumbling under a load nearly as big as he.

"Hello," Robin said, lifting up the fallen boy and brushing off his knees. "Can I help you?"

"No, Sir. I've got to carry this load to the Captain's quarters, sir. I'm Guisseppi, the cabin boy."

Robin guessed the child to be no more than nine years old. "That's a mighty large load, Guisseppi," Robin repied. "Maybe you wouldn't mind if I helped you carry it, at least part way?"

"No, sir. You mustn't, sir. If the boatswain finds out, he'll beat me, sir."

"Be on your way," Much told the child, anxious to avoid trouble.

"I'd like to meet this boatswain," Robin said, angry at the thought of the boy being beaten.

"Then turn around," a rough voice commanded.

Robin obeyed, only to find himself staring into a ginger whiskered one eyed sailor, with arms corded with muscles to match the heavy ropes coiled all over the ship.

Any man who beat a helpless child was an enemy, in Robin's eyes. But little did he know that a far more dangerous enemy threatened.

Unknown to anyone onboard, the pirate craft had also set sail, and now followed _The Trego,_ gaining minute by minute, while its pirate crew drooled over the thought of the huge ransom The Mad Archer would fetch.


	3. Chapter 3

The stars shining over the sea seemed brighter than they looked on land. Robin gazed up at them from _The Trego's_ deck, recalling how his father had once said they were the eyes of loved ones, gone before them in death.

That hadn't sounded like the sterner father he remembered, but then, his father had hardened his heart when Robin's mother had died. Robin, having been a child, had not understood the extent of his father's pain. Only now, believing he too had lost the woman he loved, though not through death, did he begin to understand.

"Where are you now, Marian?" he whispered to the breeze. "Not lying in bed with that ass, Aylesbury." The thought made him so hopelessly jealous, he gritted his teeth and moaned aloud.

What if she were a mother? He could picture her now, up from her bed, soothing her baby back to sleep, while Aylesbury slept peacefully without ever getting up to help.

A light footstep approaching him on deck pulled him from his tortured musings. Turning slowly around, he was surprised to see the pretty young woman, the old merchant's wife, who had eyed him when he'd first boarded the ship.

"Good evening," he said courteously, realizing from the wayward gleam in her eyes, she had deliberately sought him out. "It's Bianca, isn't it?"

She wasn't as pretty as he'd originally thought, though she was certainly pretty enough. Perhaps her beauty only paled beside the image of another, so recently in his thoughts.

He wasn't certain where this interview might lead, but in his heart's broken condition, he figured it would be good medicine to play along. Besides, Much's ramblings that Bianca's husband could prove dangerous lured Robin toward a romantic encounter with her, rather than repelling him away.

"Do you enjoy viewing the stars?" she asked, not knowing what else to say to him. "My husband cares for nothing but figures and ledgers."

"If it's your figure he cares for, who can fault him?" Robin asked, not bothering to hide his charm.

Bianca studied the former crusader carefully. "Your face is very handsome," she said approvingly, "but you are too thin."

"I was wounded. I'm convalescing," he explained.

"Wounded? How dreadful! Do you have a scar? I would like very much to see it."

She didn't waste much time, Robin realized. Backing off, he told her, "It's not a sight for ladies' eyes."

Standing on tiptoe, she pulled his face to her and whispered in his ear, "I am no lady. My husband is asleep. We could go to your cabin and you could show it to me now."

"You are very kind," Robin said, no longer enjoying her attention, "but my friend is there, also asleep."

"He should get up and take a walk on deck. It will prevent him from becoming seasick later."

"My friend doesn't suffer from seasickness."

Bianca looked at him questioningly. "Do you have a wife, or someone special?" she asked. "Even so, it is only one night. She will never even know. Or are you frightened of my husband?"

Robin snickered. "Believe me, Bianca, your husband doesn't frighten me."

"Then you are married!"

"No."

"Then what?"

What indeed?

A sudden swell rocked the ship, causing Bianca to stumble and fall into Robin's arms. With a sigh and a shrug, Robin gave in and kissed her.

Her mouth and hands were eager, and well experienced. Robin was enjoying her kisses, when the lookout in the crow's nest shouted out a warning.

"Pirates approaching the starboard side! All hands on deck! All hands on deck!"

"Pirates!" Bianca screamed, pulling away from Robin, then almost swooning in terror. "We'll all be killed, or worse!"

"Not while I'm here," Robin vowed, his eyes lighting up with the fresh prospect of danger.

"Go back to your cabin," he told her, "but do not fear. You're mighty lucky I boarded this vessel! Now, where's the captain? I need to quickly learn the ways of pirates."

_The Trego's _deck was soon covered with swarming sailors, all panicking at the lookout's announcement. Robin moved quickly among them, seeking out the captain. When he couldn't find him, he approached the boatswain, One Eyed Hold-Your-Breath Rufus, so called because of his habit of constantly chewing raw garlic. Although Robin had taken an instant dislike to the man, he knew the boatswain would be the best man to inform him about pirates.

Much had awakened, and stood panting at Robin's elbow, sword and shield ready, and hauling Robin's weapons to him.

"Where's the captain?" Robin asked the boatswain.

"Hiding in his cabin, I have no doubt," One Eyed Hold-Your-Breath Rufus answered. "He'll be no use to us against pirates. If he had his way, he'd sell us all to them, to save his cargo and his neck."

"Are you in charge then?" Robin asked.

"Aye, but the men won't listen to me. We need a leader, by God!"

Robin looked at Much. Much looked at Robin. And then Much spoke up. "One Eyed Stinky Breath Rufus," he said, "shake hands with my master."


	4. Chapter 4

"You can get these sailors to follow you?" One Eyed Hold-Your-Nose Rufus asked Robin, in disbelief. "You? An Earl, so far above them you can't even understand their-"

"We don't have time to argue," Robin interrupted. "Just tell me how you expect the pirates to attack, and let me lead."

Chaos and panic reigned on deck, with sailors rushing about, shouting out oaths and prayers for safety, while terrified passengers wept and screamed, or stood by pale and trembling. One Eyed Hold-Your-Breath Rufus knew he had no choice but to obey Locksley's commands.

"Alright," he said, while Much swiped his hand at the odor of garlic coming from the boatswain's mouth, "the pirate craft is small and light. It will overtake us, and they'll bring it up right up along our side, maybe even ram it into our ship. Then they'll board us, and rape, kill, and plunder."

"How long do we have until they make it here?"

Rufus narrowed his eyes, trying to judge the distance between ships. "I'd say an hour. Two, if we're lucky."

"Good." Before Rufus could stuff another garlic clove into his mouth, Robin leaped onto a barrel and raised his voice above the clamor of terrified voices on deck. "Good people," he shouted, his voice calm, firm, and commanding. Somehow, it rose above the din and quieted it. "We face a dangerous threat, but we need not panic. My friend and I are returning home after five years of battling Saladin's armies, and these pirates, though unprincipled and vicious, do not frighten us. If you will do as I say, we can defeat them, and make them rue the day they dared attack _The Trego._ Are you with me?"

"Speak for yourself about not being frightened," Much muttered quietly to himself.

A heavy silence was followed by a rousing cheer from nearly all the men on deck.

"How did he do that?" One Eyed Hold-Your-Breath Rufus wondered.

"That's nothing," Much answered him. "Just wait until you see him shoot!"

...

The sailors were relieved to be able to follow orders and strain their muscles, even if some of those orders seemed extraordinary and unusual. Robin of Locksley commanded them to bring up all the cargo they could haul, and stack it down the center of the deck, to build a sort of wall. He'd also ordered caskets of olive oil opened, much of it to be spread on the starboard side of the deck and all along the ship's rail, and down her sides. Heavy crates were roped above. Robin watched them swing in satisfaction as the sailors practiced releasing them.

"Be aware, and stay clear, unless you want to be knocked senseless. These aren't meant to hit you!"

The sailors were virtually unarmed, except for a few knives used to slice through rope. There were also a few spears on board, typically used to catch fish. Robin assigned them to Rufus.

"Now, take care when you throw them," he said. "We don't want to hit anyone in Africa."

The friendly complement paid to his strength completely won over the one eyed sailor, and forged a new friendship between the two men.

While Robin strode the deck, issuing orders, he was stopped by a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he spied Guiseppe, the ship's small cabin boy.

"Excuse me, sir," Guiseppe said, "but what can I do?"

Robin smiled, and crouched down to meet the boy at eye level. "You're a brave lad, and we need every pair of strong arms onboard. What are you good at, Guiseppe?"

"I'm good with a slingshot, but I don't have any pebbles to shoot."

"Perfect!" Robin cried, delighted. "I need you to stay behind this wall of cargo, and shoot all the pirates you can."

Drawing his knife from its sheath, Robin sliced open the seal on a crate and pried open its lid, uncovering a treasure of colored beads. "Here are your pebbles," he declared proudly.

At that moment, the old Venetian merchant Luchas voiced his complaints.

"Now look here," he objected. "I really must protest! Those beads belong to me, and cost a fortune! I forbid you to use them!"

"Would you rather give them to the pirates, and forfeit the lives of everyone onboard ship?" Robin demanded, his eyes fierce with challenge. "I promise to pay you for your goods, when all this is over."

"You had better," Luchas sneered.

Much took his place by Robin's side. "My master always keeps his word, I've have you know!"

"Much, enough." Turning to Luchas, Robin asked, "Can you fight?"

"Fight? Me? Fight pirates? Are you mad, sir? I'm an old man!"

"Then get below, and comfort your wife. Tell her I said not to worry."

Turning his glance out to sea again, Robin judged it was nearly time. "Godspeed until we meet again, my friend," Robin said, looking Much fondly in the eyes.

"Of all the ships on the sea, how did we manage to board the only one beset by foul and revolting pirates, I'd like to know?" Much cried out in frustration. "And don't you dare claim it's because Trouble always comes looking for you! Oh, I hate this!"

Much withdrew his sword and nervously readied himself for battle, taking his place with the other men onboard behind the wall of cargo. Robin ran and scurried up the pole to take his position in the crow's nest, bow ready to pick off as many pirates as his supply of arrows allowed.


	5. Chapter 5

Positioned in the crow's nest lookout high atop _The Trego, _Robin took a mental count of the pirates he saw onboard their fast approaching ship, grimly realizing their number far exceeded his supply of arrows.

He felt sick and dizzy from his post. The sea's never ending rolling motion was exaggerated so high up, but he put his nausea out of his mind and concentrated instead on how the sea swell might affect the course of his arrows. He could only guess, and pray, for the sea was as precarious and unfaithful as the merchant's wife below deck.

The challenge to aim true helped Robin also dismiss the thought that he had to kill again.

The pirate ship was drawing near with an amazingly fast onrush of speed.

Robin lined up five arrows on his bow, and waited. The wind kicked up, causing the crow's nest to sway even wider, creating an even bigger challenge to hit his human targets. To further compound his difficulties, those human targets swarmed around the deck of their ship, their excitement flowing with their thirst for bloodshed and booty.

When the pirates drew so close that Robin could almost smell the liquor on their breath, he saw two of their number stop their pacing and point up at him. He couldn't overhear what they said, but he saw their lips pull back over toothless gums in evil grins.

The grinning pirates never knew what hit them, as two arrows sizzled through the air and slammed into their hearts. Their shipmates looked at them in shocked amazement when they staggered backward and dropped lifelessly to the deck.

Immediately, a third arrow soared amongst them, striking one man in his chest, running clean through his body, only to strike the man standing behind him. Two fell dead from a single arrow.

"The Mad Archer!" the pirate captain shrieked in Arabic, just before dropping dead, with Robin's fourth arrow lodged through his right eye.

Robin continued dwindling the pirates' numbers, desperately hoping they would give up and sail away. But they did not. When his supply of arrows finally ran out, he climbed down from the crow's nest with amazing speed, unsheathed his sword, and waited in front of the cargo barrier.

Many of the remaining pirates slipped and fell to the deaths into the sea, while trying to board _The Trego. _Robin's plan of coating the ship's rail and sides with olive oil to make the ship slippery proved effective, and the men onboard _The Trego _raised a mighty cheer. Their leader's incredible shooting and unmatched bravery inspired their courage, and all were ready to fight.

The pirates gave up trying to board the ship by climbing onboard, and now swung onto the ship by rope, dropping to its deck like monkeys from jungle treetops. "Now!" Robin cried, ordering his men to release the heavy crates of cargo. More pirates dropped, struck senseless by heavy swinging crates.

Those not hit charged the barrier with battle cries on their lips. Robin's sword disposed one after another, and Much did his part, also killing many. Guiseppe shot heavy beads with his slingshot, hiding behind the barrier, and when Rufus threw his last spear, he advanced with only a knife to defend himself.

The pirates battled through the sailors, converging on Robin, for he was the "booty" they believed would make their fortune.

Robin fought valiantly, but soon found himself surrounded. Just as he thought all was lost, he heard Much's voice imploring him to look up. A rope dropped from above, which Robin grabbed and shimmied up before the pirates had a chance to blink. To Much's terror, Robin next swung back down the rope to the deck, scattering pirates as he kicked them out of his path.

Much stood still in amazement, his sword at his side, watching his master return to the fight. All at once, he felt himself seized from behind. A scimitar, warm and sticky with others' blood, kissed his throat. Much froze in terror, sure he was going to die, when he miraculously felt the pirate release him, and drop to the deck. With a ferocious grunt, Robin withdrew his own scimitar from the pirate's bloody body.

The few remaining pirates had seen enough. None of them had ever battled such a threat as the Mad Archer. Convinced that Robin must be some supernatural force, they screamed and retreated, some jumping overboard, and some swinging from ropes back to their ship.

Exhausted from battle, the crew of _The Trego _raised a cheer. They had won! They were safe! Several of their shipmates had died, but very few, in relation to the number of dead pirates.

"You saved us," One Eyed Hold-Your-Breath Rufus said, clasping Robin in a tight embrace. "You are a hero!"

Robin was relieved to have saved the ship, but he couldn't share in the joyous celebration onboard.

He'd been forced to kill again. After a quick, silent prayer, he turned his eyes away from the bloody bodies littering the deck, toward the west. Somewhere over that horizon lay home. England. Locksley. His own peaceful village, where he could live out his days helping others, rather than staining his hands shedding the blood of his fellow man.

Or so he believed.


	6. Chapter 6

The dead bodies onboard ship were hastily buried at sea, both pirate and honest sailor alike.

In the aftermath of battle, the surviving sailors kept busy reloading cargo to the ship's hull, while others swabbed the deck, trying to wash away the blood of those who had fallen. Much, too wound up to sleep, fussed over his master, pleading with him to go to bed.

"You've had enough excitement for one night, I think you'll find," he complained. "We all have. More than enough. In fact, if we never see a flicker of excitement again, it will be too soon. Now, you fought very bravely, but it's time you were in bed. Past time! You're not fully recovered from your fever, you know."

"I can't go to bed yet, Much."

"Why not?"

"What if the pirates return?"

Much's eyes grew wide with worry. "Oh, no! They'd better not! Not after that defeat! You don't really think they might?"

"I doubt it, but-" A wave of dizziness washed over Robin, and he staggered forward a step. Much caught him under his elbow.

"You're skin and bones, you know, Robin. Get to bed. If there's any more danger, I'll be sure to wake you."

"Promise me."

Much huffed. "Who else could lead these men? Not their cowardly captain, surely! Where was he during the battle, I'd like to know?"

"According to Rufus, _The Trego's_ brave captain was hiding in his cabin, probably under his blanket, or under his bed."

"Ha! He ought to resign, and put you in charge! I daresay the crew would follow you to the ends of the world, after your performance tonight."

In spite of everything, Robin grinned. "I'm through leading. I just want to get some rest, and go home."

"Now you sound like me! You must really be tired!"

"I am. But I have one bit of business before I can sleep tonight."

"Business? What business? Robin, if you're thinking of that woman with the naughty eyes..."

"What woman?" Robin joked. Turning serious, he explained. "No, Much. I'm thinking of Guiseppe."

"The cabin boy?"

"That's right. I think I've earned the boatswain's respect, enough to persude him never to lay a hand on that boy again."

"Robin, do you really think you can stop a rough sailor from using force? It's all he knows!"

"I mean to try. And after I have a talk with Hold-Your-Breath, I swear to you, Much, I'll go to bed and sleep like a baby."

"See that you do! And Robin..."

"Yes?"

Tender hearted Much didn't like violence toward children any more than his master did. "Good luck."

...

After persuading the ship's boatswain to never hurt Guiseppe again, Robin descended one of the ship's narrow ladders, heading below deck toward his chamber. Because of his rank, he had been assigned the most sumptuous chamber onboard, after the captain's quarters. Turning a sharp bend in the dark, narrow corridor, Robin stumbled against a female figure, waiting breathlessly for him.

"Bianca!" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"You saved us!" the merchant's wife gushed. "Everyone's talking about your skill and bravery! I came to thank you for all you did for us tonight!"

"You are very welcome," Robin said kindly, touched by the woman's passionate appreciation. "But it wasn't only me. Even the cabin boy acted bravely, and did his part."

Bianca blocked his path, gazing hungrily into his eyes, begging for him to take her. "I mean it," she panted. "I insist on thanking you. But not here. Alone, in your chamber."

Robin hesitated. It had been a long time since he'd... But she was married. Unhappily married, he could tell. At the very least, unsatisfied by her elderly husband. And she was begging him. Not to mention, he found her attractive. It would be unchivalrous to reject her, wouldn't it?

No. He suddenly found he didn't want to. Not because his body had been weakened from its long drawn out fever, but because he was sailing homeward. Memories of Marian flooded his heart and his mind. He wished he could speak with her and tell her all about this battle, and how he had helped save the ship. He didn't want the tale tarnished by a sordid encounter with a married woman, even if Marian would never know. "You are a good man, Robin," Marian used to tell him, so many times in the past. And even if they could no longer belong to each other, he wouldn't risk losing that. He longed to be the man she believed him to be.

"You are lovely," Robin told Bianca, "and I'm a fool to turn you down, but I must."

"Why?" She was pouting, like a spoiled child.

He didn't even try to make her understand. It was far easier to use his illness as a plausible excuse. "I've not recovered from my fever, and I'm not yet strong enough to do justice to your generous offer." Switching on his charm, he lifted her hand and pressed it to his lips. "I would not disappoint such a beautiful lady, for all the world."

"Maybe tomorrow night?" she asked, "after you've gotten your rest? My husband always retires early to bed."

"Perhaps," Robin lied, determining to quit the ship the next day, when it docked in Cyprus. "Until then, Bianca."

She sighed longingly, and returned to her cabin. Robin watched her go with some regret, but certain he had made the right choice.

He couldn't think of Marian any more tonight. He couldn't think of her ever again, at least, not with the strong feelings he had. Marian was married to Martin of Aylesbury, or so he'd been told. It hurt, but he'd eventually grow used to it. He had to. She was part of his past. He could stand it. He was determined to stand it.

Robin went to sleep that night, confident his heart could release Marian, once and for all. But all night long, Much heard him speak her name lovingly in his sleep, over and over again.

Robin, ill and weakened, had disposed of an entire crew of pirates who wanted him more than they'd wanted any other treasure their entire careers. But for all his determination, it was impossible to dispose of his longing for a dark haired, blued eyed English maiden.

~FIN~


End file.
